Come Away With Me
by BlissfullySortOfAnonymous
Summary: An ordinary day of lunchroom teasing leads to an unlikely romance, until an act of blind hatred leaves Elphaba wondering if things will ever be the same. She and Fiyero leave Shiz behind them for a life in the Vinkus, where they must learn to overcome the ache of her past.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Wicked. Alas, all I own is a very heavily worn soundtrack and other merchandise.

This is an old story that I deleted several months ago. I have a soft spot for it despite its many flaws, so I decided to rewrite and repost. Enjoy!

* * *

It was Fiyero's second week at Shiz University, and, just as he had every day for the last week, he sat at his lunch table and cast discreet glances at the door to the cafeteria. '_She's late today…'_

At last she appeared in the doorway, and he studied her as she made her way to an empty table and sat. She was tall and statuesque, and she moved with all the grace and poise of a dancer; he wondered if she's ever been a ballerina, but quickly dismissed the thought as unlikely. Her long, midnight-black hair tumbled down her back in glossy waves, and he stared, transfixed by the way it caught the sunlight that streamed in through the stained-glass windows. He asked himself for the hundredth time why every male in the school wasn't as entranced by her as he was.

Fiyero jolted out his trance when Avaric, former best friend and current irritant, leaned over and asked, "Fiyero, how in Oz can you stare at the artichoke for so long without puking?" Fists clenched, tired of hearing her insulted, Fiyero opened his mouth to defend her—but Avaric was quicker.

"Oy, greenie! We can't decide whether you're more of an artichoke or an asparagus. Which do you prefer?"

The cafeteria filled with barely-suppressed laughter. Fiyero watched the green girl shoot a scorching glare at Avaric, then stand and stalk from the room with her head held high. Only a split second before she disappeared did he see her shoulders sag.

He turned to Avaric and said coldly, "Excuse me."

Fiyero hurried from the cafeteria and peered down the hall, his head buzzing all the while with disappointment at how his friend had changed since coming to Shiz. He caught a flash of black material disappearing around a corner, and followed it out into the courtyard. When he caught up with her, she was sitting cross-legged with her back against the wall, staring at her hands.

He approached her cautiously. She didn't look up.

"Go away."

He didn't. Instead he knelt in front of her and reached out a hand to tip her chin up, though she stubbornly kept her eyes on her hands.

"Things will get better. You'll see," he said softly.

Surprise made her meet his eyes at last. She was stunned to find the most beautiful man she'd ever seen, smiling down at her. Smiling? For the first time in her life, Elphaba Thropp was speechless. She opened and closed her mouth wordlessly, and heat rushed to her face.

The beautiful stranger laughed and said, "I'm Fiyero, by the way."

He held out a hand to help her up, and she surprised herself by taking it. Fiyero pulled her to her feet, and she suddenly found herself standing very close to him—close enough to notice that he smelled like the trees in autumn, and that his body radiated warmth.

Their eyes locked and held for a moment. His were a deep, velvety green; she forgot for a moment how much she hated that color. Then simultaneously Fiyero cleared his throat and Elphaba looked away, and the spell was broken.

"Listen," Fiyero began, "I know you don't know me, but what do you say we go off campus and get something to eat, seeing as the cafeteria is unfit for habitation by decent human beings at the moment?"

"Well…I…"

"Come on," he urged. "I know the perfect place. It's a bit more…secluded."

Elphaba let out the breath she'd been holding and managed a small smile. "That _does _sound perfect."

Fiyero grinned. "Right this way."


	2. Chapter 2

As Elphaba and Fiyero made their way back to Shiz, Fiyero couldn't help feeling rather proud of himself. They'd really hit it off; he could tell she was starting to warm up to him. She was speaking in complete sentences now, anyway. They'd covered all the basics—school, hobbies, and Fiyero had just finished describing the Vinkus. Elphaba, however, seemed reluctant to discuss her own home.

"My father's the governor of Munchkinland. I don't want to talk about him."

"Ok, well, do you have any siblings?"

"A sister. Nessarose."

"What's she like?"

"Beautiful. You've probably seen her on campus; she's the one in the wheelchair." Offhandedly, she added, "She's the only reason I'm here, actually."

'_Aha! Personal information!' _"What do you mean?"

She seemed flustered. "Forget it, I shouldn't have said that."

"No, tell me," he coaxed. "Come on."

She sighed. "Well…the only reason my father let me come here is so that I could look after Nessa. I'm 21—I should have gone to university years ago, but I had to wait until Nessa was old enough." She scuffed her shoe on the sidewalk. "I'm so behind."

"Nah, you're not." He shoved his hands in his pockets and nudged her shoulder with his. "I'm older than you are and you'd be mortified at how little school I've made it through—or rather how much school I've flunked out of."

"For real?" She stopped to look at him. "You don't seem stupid. I mean…" Her eyes got wide. "Not that you have to be stupid to fail…it's just that—"

He only chuckled. "Hey, I know what you meant. And I'm glad you don't think I'm stupid. It's refreshing." He paused. "I just have a devil of a time caring about calculus. I mean, honestly—what will I ever need with _calculus_? Or chemistry, for that matter? Or—"

"Well then, what _do_ you care about?"

He shrugged. "People mostly, I guess. Real life." He changed the subject. "Do you ever miss home, Elphaba?"

"No."

"No? What about your friends?" He persisted.

"I didn't have any." She glanced at him. "Oh, don't look so surprised."

"But that's awful! Everyone needs friends."

"I don't."

He looked down at her and winked. "Well, it's too bad you're stuck with me then."

* * *

Fiyero continued walking, but Elphaba hung back, allowing herself a pleased smile before rushing to catch up with him. When she did, he was humming, a song she'd never heard before. His voice was a rich, silky tenor with the slightest bit of husk.

A moment after she rejoined him, Fiyero stopped humming and said, "So, Elphaba…you know, that's a really long name. How 'bout I give you a nickname?"

She snorted. "It's not any longer than yours."

"Mmm, true…but you shall have a nickname, because I want to give you one," he said matter-of-factly. "How about Elphie?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Elphie?"

"No? Ok, how about Fae?"

She threw up her hands. "What's wrong with Elphaba?"

"Nothing! But we're friends now, Elphie. That means I get to give you irritating nicknames, and you can't kill me for it."

Her eyebrow inched higher up her forehead. "Oh? Can't I?"

"Nope," he chirped, slinging an arm around her shoulders. She shrugged it off and glared at him, and he pouted dramatically.

Elphaba elbowed him in the ribs. "Stop that."

They walked in companionable silence for a moment, and then Elphaba had an idea. "Wait," she said, a mischievous smile starting to creep across her lips. "If we're friends, I get to call you whatever I like as well."

"Sure, Elphie."

"Ok. I was thinking something along the lines of Fifi." His eyes widened. "Yes, I think Fifi will do nicely," she finished with a wicked grin.

Fiyero grasped her arm and pleaded, "Not Fifi. Anything but Fifi!"

"Oh, I don't know, I think it suits you." She let him squirm for a moment and then sighed. "It's really too bad that I'd sooner be caught dead than say that name in public."

He exhaled loudly. "Oh, thank Oz."

"What about Yero?" she mused, more to herself than to him.

* * *

Fiyero's heart jumped unexpectedly at the sound of his name on her lips, and he held his breath for her decision.

"Yes, I think I like that," she decided.

'_I definitely do…'_ He worked to keep his voice casual as he replied, "Works for me. I'm curious though—why don't you like being called Elphie?"

She blinked and wrinkled her nose. "I suppose it reminds me of my roommate."

"Who's your roommate?" he asked, amused.

"Galinda," she answered distastefully.

"Oh? Do you mean—" he tossed imaginary curls over his shoulder and fluttered his eyelashes ridiculously. Elphaba burst out laughing. "—that Galinda?" he finished innocently.

"Yes, and she's an absolute nightmare! Do you know she blows kisses to herself in the mirror and sleeps with a stuffed pig named 'Pigsy'?" Her entire body became animated as she continued to expound on all of her roommate's annoying qualities until they reentered the university, only to find the hallways empty.

"Crap, I made you late!" Fiyero groaned. "What class do you have?"

"History. It's alright, Dr. Dillamond won't mind. So…" She bit her lower lip and fidgeted. "I'll…see you around?"

'_Um, YES. Yes, yes yes yes yes, you're going to see so much of me that you'll either want to kill me or kiss me before the week's over. Preferably the latter. Did I mention YES?' _What he said was, "Sure."

She smiled and began to hurry down the hall.

'_What am I doing? Idiot, go after her!' _"Elphaba, wait!" She turned to face him, and he trotted over to her. "So I was thinking—"

"Were you?"

"Shocking, isn't it?" he said conversationally. "Anyway, I was thinking that I definitely prefer your company over those morons I was sitting with today. Do you want to meet up for lunch again tomorrow?"

She hesitated. "Are you sure your reputation can handle another lunch outing?"

"What do you mean?"

She crossed her arms. "What do you think I mean?"

"Why don't you just tell me?!"

"I mean my own sister doesn't like to be seen with me, for Oz's sake! What is this, some sort of bet or something?"

"What? No!"

"A dare then? What?"

"Elphie!" He took a step closer. "Why would I do that do you?"

"For the same reason everyone else does." She held up a green hand. "Doesn't this bother you?"

He studied her for a moment, then shrugged and answered simply, "No."

Silence. "Really?" she asked finally.

He gave her a crooked smile. "Yes, really." Resting his hands on her shoulders, he looked her in the eye and told her, "You, Elphaba Thropp, are beautiful, and don't you dare let anyone tell you otherwise. I'll see you tomorrow."

He grabbed her hand and kissed it with a smack, then turned and strode down the hall, whistling happily.

* * *

Elphaba stared after him. _'Where in Oz did you come from?'_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No ownership here!

Thanks everyone for the lovely reviews! I really appreciate them. Y'all are great! Here's chapter 3.

* * *

Galinda was scheming. When Fiyero had followed Elphaba out of the cafeteria that afternoon, Galinda had begun to suspect that some sort of unlikely friendship existed between the two.

Of course, it never occurred to her that the feelings involved may not be strictly friendly, at least not on Fiyero's part—that would be silly. He was perfect, after all, and Elphaba was green. '_How very goodly of Fiyero to take pity on her,_' Galinda decided.

No, there was certainly nothing of a romantic nature going on—but a friendship could be used to her advantage. Feeling very clever, she hopped onto her bed, pulled out her fluffy pink notebook and its matching fluffy pink pen, and began to write down what she thought was a most elaborate and thrillifying plan.

Galinda's plan was this:

_Make "friends" with Elphaba_

_Use "friendship" with Elphaba to spend time with Fiyero_

_Once Fiyero sees how perfect and adorable I am, he'll realize that we're perfect together. _

_WE'LL GET MARRIED!_

Finishing with a flourish, Galinda read through her plan, and, convinced that it was foolproof, she giggled with glee, kicking her legs in the air.

"Oz," she sighed. "When did I get so smartical?"

Suddenly a lightbulb went on in Galinda's head, disrupting her pleasantly fluffy thoughts of wedding gowns and color-coordinated wedding bouquets. She sat up abruptly.

"But wait! I need to make it obvious that we're friends, or Fiyero might not notice…" She thought for a moment. "Ooh, I know!" she squealed, then seized her notebook and began writing feverishly.

_Give Elphaba a makeover to draw attention to "friendship"_

Surely Galinda's goodliness in doing such a thing would not go unnoticed by the prince. Her daydreams returned full force.

She looked up as the bedroom door opened, and Elphaba floated into the room with a dazed, almost dreamy expression on her face. Galinda decided to play dumb.

"Where have _you_ been?"

Elphaba jumped, and her face assumed its normal, curt expression. "Lunch," she answered shortly.

"Lunch with Fiyero?" Galinda asked with a sly smile.

Elphaba turned sharply. "What makes you say that?"

A hint of color tinged her cheeks, and that's when it dawned on Galinda. _'Elphaba likes Fiyero! Oh, the disrespectation!"_

Realizing she had yet to respond, she said vaguely, "Oh, nothing," and began twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

It was time for Step 1 of her plan.

* * *

"Elphaba, I've been thinking lately," Galinda began.

"You too, huh?" '_What is the world coming to?'_

Galinda blinked, then continued as if nothing had happened. "I think we should be friends, seeing as we're roomies and all."

"Friends?" Elphaba repeated skeptically.

"Yes, friends!"

"But we can't stand each other."

"So? Please, Elphie?" Galinda wheedled.

"If I say yes will you promise never to call me Elphie again?"

"Yep!"

"Umm…okay?"

"Yay!" Galinda beamed.

Silence.

'_Well, this is awkward…'_ Finally, Galinda stood and flounced from the room. "See you later Elphie!"

Elphaba sighed. '_So much for that promise…'_

The next morning, Elphaba was rudely awakened at the crack of dawn by a horrible racket.

"Wake up, wake up! We have work to do!"

'_What is that infernal screeching?' _She cracked an eye open to see her diminutive blonde roommate bouncing up and down on the edge of her bed with far more energy than should be allowed at such an ungodly hour.

"Galinda, shut up and go back to sleep."

Galinda frowned. "Elphie, you're being very rude." She grabbed Elphaba's hand and yanked.

Elphaba slapped her away. "Galinda! What in Oz do you want?"

"Well, you see, Elphie—"

"Don't call me Elphie."

Galinda ignored her. "Now that we're friends, I've decided…" she paused dramatically, "…to make you…" another pause, "…my new project!" She clapped her hands together and gave a little squeak.

A wide-eyed Elphaba inched as far back on the bed as possible. "Oh, you really don't have to do that."

"I know! That's what makes me so nice. Now—" She grabbed a sparkly, powder-blue bag overflowing with glittering makeup products in every shade of pink and purple imaginable, and advanced toward Elphaba, who shrank back against the headboard.

"No…Galinda, I am not agreeing to this. Don't come any closer!"

In a sudden flurry of frills and ruffles, Galinda pounced. Before Elphaba knew what was happening, she was pinned to the bed with her hands bound together by a pair of pantyhose.

"Get off of me!" she ordered, spitting a strand of Galinda's hair out of her mouth.

"Only if you promise to cooperate."

Elphaba glared. "Untie my hands."

"Nope." Galinda smiled deviously, and Elphaba began to feel very nervous.

"Galinda, I'm warning you..."

Forty-five minutes later, after trying unsuccessfully to curl Elphaba's hair, Galinda was attempting to coax Elphaba into a corset dress.

"No," said Elphaba flatly.

It was Galinda's turn to glare. "Do you want me to untie your hands or not?"

They stared each other down for a moment, and Elphaba relented. "Fine. I'll try it on. That doesn't mean I'm going to wear it. And you'd better pick a different color—I refuse to touch pink or sequins."

Before Elphaba had a chance to change her mind, Galinda untied her hands and thrust a relatively simple, deep purple dress into them. She pointed to the bathroom and ordered, "Go."

Elphaba stomped off to the bathroom and emerged a moment later, exasperated. "How in Oz are you supposed to lace this thing up?"

"Turn around." Galinda began wrestling with the corset strings.

"Galinda…" Elphaba gasped. "Can't…breathe…"

"Well, that's the whole point, silly! 'Cause when you breathe, your stomach gets bigger. Honestly, Elphie, you're supposed to be smart…"

Next was makeup. Clearly enjoying herself, Galinda bounced across the room to search for a tube of mascara.

"Lalalalaaaaaa!" she yodeled at the top of her lungs.

'_Oh, for the love…' _Elphaba thought she sounded rather like a dying cow, and would have said so, had they not been interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Oh, the disrespectation," Galinda huffed as she went to answer it. She flung the door open. "What do you—oh! Milla, dear…what brings you here this fine morning?" She flashed a dazzling smile.

Milla's expression was worried. "Galinda, is everything alright in here? I was awakened by the most horrible noise; it sounded like…like a cow dying, or something."

Elphaba couldn't suppress a cackle. Milla shot her a strange look and continued. "Do you know what it might have been?"

"I haven't the foggiest, Milla dear. Elphie, do you know what she's talking about?"

Elphaba shook her head, eyes wide. "Oh no…I didn't hear any cows."

"Well, alright…" Milla reluctantly said goodbye.

"Now, where was I?" Galinda thought for a moment. "Oh yes—lalaaa lalaaaaaaa! I'm gonna make you popular!"

She applied the mascara, then stepped back to study her creation. "There! All finished."

"Galinda, you can't honestly expect me to wear this to class—"

Galinda slammed her makeup bag down on the bed, then leaned toward Elphaba until their faces were only inches apart. Her eyes narrowed.

"Oh, you will. If you ever want to sleep again, you'll wear it and be grateful!" She grinned. "Anyway, you can't wipe it off without makeup remover—and you don't have any."

With that, she spun on her heel and pranced into the bathroom, not to emerge for the next couple of hours.

Elphaba flopped onto her back and groaned. '_This is going to be a long day…'_


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the wait! The last few weeks have been super hectic. I've got a few weeks of down time though, so the next few chapters will be quicker. Cheers!

This chapter jumps perspectives a bit more than usual...I hope it's not confusing. .

* * *

Elphaba stalked into history class, scowling at everything and everyone she passed. The result of her so-called friendship with Galinda and the ensuing makeover was that she'd been stared at even more than usual today, and she didn't like it one bit.

Arriving at her usual front-row seat, she deposited her bag on the floor in a huff, then flopped into her chair and glowered at the desktop.

"Elphaba?" a familiar voice asked in disbelief.

She whirled to find Fiyero sitting at the neighboring desk and began to blush, cursing Galinda silently.

"What are you doing here?"

He leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "Oh, I'm always in this class—well, when I show up, that is. I just usually sit toward the back, and, model student that you are, your eyes would never dream of leaving the teacher." He shot her a sideways grin.

"Oh." '_For Oz's sake, Elphaba, say something intelligent.' _She chewed her bottom lip uncomfortably, then blurted, "I know it's horrible. Galinda forced me to wear the stupid thing, I didn't want—why are you looking at me like that?"

Fiyero had been gazing at her with an affectionate, slightly sappy, and highly amused expression. At her question, he shook his head and grinned. "Ah, Elphie. You worry too much; you couldn't look horrible if you tried."

Galinda chose that precise moment to flounce into the classroom and plop into the seat on the other side of Fiyero.

"Fiyero!" she trilled. "Don't you like what I've done with Elphie?" Without waiting for his answer, she squealed, "Oh, of course you do! Who wouldn't?"

Fiyero was clearly flustered. "Umm…yeah, yeah, it's great." Turning back to Elphaba, he added more sincerely, "Really."

"I call it Galindafication," Galinda announced, trying unsuccessfully to draw his attention back to herself.

"I see," he said absently, then leaned towards Elphaba and added in an undertone, "You didn't need it."

* * *

Galinda's perfectly made-up face contorted into an irritated frown. _'Oh, the disrespectation! Shouldn't he be praising my goodliness?'_ But Fiyero had eyes only for Elphaba.

Galinda wanted to yank him around by the shoulders and shout, "You see that face? I _created_ that face!" But ladies didn't shout. What would Momsie say? No, she would simply have to go with Plan B—what was Plan B again? She summoned Milla and Shen-Shen, and the three of them began plotting.

* * *

Meanwhile, Elphaba was discovering the full extent of Fiyero's…lack of academic aptitude—namely that he was failing most of his classes, though she suspected it was due more to lack of effort than lack of intelligence.

"And what about Life Sciences?" she pressed.

"Umm…a D?" he admitted sheepishly.

Elphaba sighed and shook her head. "If you only had a brain…"

"Hey!" He pretended to be affronted.

"What's the matter? Can't handle the truth? Is your confidence shattered?"

He shook his pencil at her. "I'll get you."

She cackled, then, glancing at Galinda and finding her absorbed in whispering with Milla and Shen-Shen about Oz-knew-what, she shot back, "Not if I unleash Galinda on you first. I think Galindafication would suit you quite well, personally."

He winced. "You know, pink is really not my color."

"Oh, I was thinking more along the lines of powder blue…maybe with a tutu and a little tiara…"

"Elphaba Thropp, you are evil." She cackled again.

* * *

Just then Doctor Dillamond entered the room, and Elphaba immediately straightened, her face taking on a studious look. She removed a pencil from behind her ear, and Fiyero chuckled to himself as he took out his notebook, preparing to take notes for the first time in his life. He figured that would be better than enduring glares from Elphaba for trying to occupy himself any other way. Heaving a sigh, he zoned in on the lesson and began to write.

Feeling rather numb but extremely proud of himself, Fiyero gathered up his five pages of detailed notes and slipped them into his bag. _'Amazing,'_ he thought. He might've actually learned something today. '_Not completely brainless, Elphaba…'_

Someone cleared their throat behind him, and he turned to find Avaric standing over his shoulder, looking considerably less than friendly.

Elphaba stood and began to leave, but Fiyero caught her wrist as she passed.

"I'll see you for lunch?"

She nodded, then marched out of the classroom, casting a scathing look over her shoulder at Avaric. Fiyero slowly turned to face him, dreading what he suspected would end in a fight.

Avaric eyed the teacher, waiting for him leave. When the classroom was empty, he drawled, "So, Fiyero. You've been awfully cozy with greenie lately."

"What of it?"

Avaric took a step closer. "Well, if I didn't know better, I'd say you actually liked her."

Fiyero raised his eyebrows defiantly. "And if I did?"

Avaric just looked at him for a moment, then smirked. "How long do you think it'll take to get this one in bed? That's what you're after, isn't it? Oz, I know you don't like bar girls, but I had no idea you were _that_ desperate. Do you think if you kiss the frog she'll turn into a princess?"

"Say one more word against her and I'll—"

"You'll what? Throw away ten years of friendship over some diseased whore—"

He didn't get a chance to finish, due to Fiyero's fist colliding forcefully with his jaw. Avaric staggered back, cursing.

"I said not another word," Fiyero spat.

Avaric wiped an arm across his bloodied lip and backed towards the door. "You shouldn't have done that." With that he turned and disappeared.

* * *

"Another."

The pretty girl behind the counter slid another glass towards the scowling customer. He was sporting a split lip and a long bruise across his jawbone; she guessed he'd had a quarrel and come here to drink his troubles away. He was handsome, in spite of the scowl and the bruises.

"You'll have to ask Kia for the next one." She indicated another girl further down the bar. "I'm on break for the next fifteen minutes."

She took a sweater from a hook on the wall and headed for the door. His eyes bored into her back. Quietly, he slipped from his stool and followed her.


	5. Chapter 5

Galinda sat in her bed with her notebook in hand, scheming once again. Two weeks had passed since the unsuccessful makeover. Fiyero and Elphaba were closer than ever, but Galinda was just frustrated. She'd sat next to Elphie, walked with her in the halls, even joined her and Fiyero for lunch on occasion, and that blasted prince hadn't so much as asked her on a date. On the contrary, the more time she spent with the two of them, the more she began to suspect that Fiyero was in love with Elphaba.

And for the first time in her life, Galinda Upland was jealous. How dare Elphaba get in the way? Never mind that Galinda and Fiyero didn't seem to have much in common, or that things between them were awkward when Elphaba wasn't there. Galinda was perfect, Fiyero was perfect, and then Elphaba had to step in and spoil all that lovely perfection. It just wasn't fair.

The first step in her new plan was obvious: she had to find a way to stop Fiyero's feelings for Elphaba.

Galinda felt a pang of guilt. Now that she knew Elphie better, knew how miserable her life had been, she felt something close to affection for the green girl, and her conscience squirmed at the thought of hurting her.

She shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind, where she kept everything unpleasant or distressing. She mustn't let pity get in the way of her plans. She was Galinda Upland, and she always got what she wanted. And this was what she wanted.

Wasn't it?

* * *

"Think, Fiyero. I know it's difficult, but you do have a brain—use it!"

Fiyero heaved a dramatic sigh. "Elphaba, if I think any harder, my head will explode."

"Not likely," she said dispassionately, then softened. "Come on, Fiyero, you know this."

"Umm…" He banged his head against his bedpost a few times, hoping it might help him concentrate. Truth be told, he did know this, but he was so distracted by thoughts of Elphaba and what he'd rather be doing with her at the moment that there was no room left in his head for history. '_Focus,' _ he scolded himself.

"Was it…during the Great Drought?"

"Good," Elphaba nodded approvingly. "Next question…"

Fiyero groaned. "Why can't we go find out if Boq really wears pink underwear instead?"

The corners of her mouth twitched. "I think I'm gonna pass on that one."

"Oh, I see how it is." He pretended to be miffed. She punched him lightly, and he caught hold of her wrist.

In his loftiest voice, he said, "Violence is a sin, Elphie."

"So is laziness."

"Hey! I'm trying over here!"

She shrugged. "I know. I just like giving you a hard time."

"Is that so?" He grinned wickedly.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, no you don't." She scrambled to get off the bed. "Don't even think about it! What is your fascination with—"

She shrieked as he caught her around the waist and pinned her down, tickling her mercilessly.

"Stop….Yero, stop!" she gasped in between bursts of laughter.

"Huh-uh; I'm having way too much fun."

"Fiyero!"

He shook his head. "You're gonna have to beg harder than that."

"No."

"Come on, say it…"

She set her jaw stubbornly, but her face was turning purple from suppressing her laughter. Fiyero's grin widened. "Elphie…"

"Ugh! Ok. You're freakishly handsome and charming," she grumbled as grumpily as is possible while being tickled.

"And…?"

She smirked. "And I'll try to refrain from reminding you of your many faults."

"How very kind of you," he said sarcastically. He stopped finally, and they both breathed heavily for a moment, him hovering over her.

For a moment, he was lost in her eyes, until he realized she was blushing so hard he could practically feel the heat coming off her face—possibly due to the fact that he was currently straddling her waist.

"Umm, Yero? Can you…?" She gestured for him to get off.

He decided to play dumb. "Can I what?"

"Get off me, you moron!"

He tilted his head. "No, I don't think I will…" Her mouth made a little surprised 'O', and he grinned. "You're pretty comfy."

She scowled at him, and he laughed. "Ok, ok…"

He finally rolled off and offered a hand to help her up, which she swatted away.

"Oz, Elphie, if looks could kill…"

"Then you'd be dead ten times over," she finished.

"I'm so abused," he whined.

"Aww, poor spoiled rich boy…"

"Yeah, yeah…So Elphie, you're coming to the dance tonight, right?"

She started fidgeting with the bedspread. "I don't know, Fiyero…"

"Why not?"

"I can't dance," she said bluntly.

"C'mon, Elphie. Please?" Puppy dog eyes; he'd discovered, to his surprise, that they did in fact seem to have an effect on her. "I'll miss you if you're not there."

'_You have no idea how much…'_

* * *

'_Why in Oz am I doing this? Cute boy makes googly eyes at you and you willingly agree to a night of certain humiliation…really smart, Elphaba.' _

Elphaba was going through her closet, examining black dress after black dress, in an attempt to decide which to wear to the party that night. '_Anyway, it's not as if it matters which one I wear; I'll look hideous regardless.' _A voice in the back of her head argued, '_But Fiyero doesn't think so…'_

"Well, Fiyero needs to get his eyes checked," she grumbled.

Unable to find anything decent to wear, Elphaba threw up her hands in frustration. "That's it! I'm not going."

* * *

Galinda poked her head out of the bathroom, not about to let her plans be foiled so easily.

"Elphie, you have to come! I have a special present just for you."

She hurried to her vast wardrobe, and for a moment her fluff-covered backside was all that remained visible as her torso disappeared into its depths to search for the present. After many bumps and squeaks of pain, a somewhat rumpled-looking Galinda emerged with a round box in her hands.

Galinda hesitated. In the box was a positively awful pointed black hat from her granny. If Elphaba went to the dance wearing that, she'd be laughed off the dance floor, and surely Fiyero would come to his senses. He wouldn't want anything to do with such an embarrassing fiasco. _'I don't know if I can do this…'_

Forcing a smile, she thrust the hat into Elphaba's hands. "Here. It's very…umm, sharp, don't you think?"

Elphaba blinked.

"I thought you might want to wear it to the party tonight."

"Well, I—"

"Please, Elphie?" Galinda pleaded.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal. I'll come—" Galinda squealed and clapped her hands. "—if and only if you promise to stop calling me that horrid nickname."

"Done." Galinda traipsed back off to the bathroom.

"Galinda?"

"Yes, Elphaba?"

Elphaba hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Thank you."

Feeling worse than ever, Galinda gave her a half-hearted smile. "Don't thank me, Elphaba. Really."

'_I can't do this, I can't do this…'_

"Galinda, I'm going to go ahead and leave, ok?" Elphaba called a few minutes later.

"Alright, I'll catch up in a minute."

As soon as Elphaba was gone, Galinda collapsed on her bed with a sigh. The sense of guilt she'd been experiencing all day nagged at her, and refused to stay in the back of her mind where she'd put it.

She remembered the night Elphaba had told her about how her mother was dead and her father hated her, and how genuinely sorry she'd felt. She thought about all the teasing and cruelty her roommate had endured just in the last couple of months, and the guilt burned white hot. The teasing tonight would most likely be worse than anything she'd put up with so far at Shiz, and if all went according to plan, her only true friend, FIyero, wouldn't be there to back her up.

Galinda's eyes filled with tears. '_Poor Elphie…' _Didn't she deserve to be loved, just this once?

She sat bolt upright. "I have to stop her!"

Galinda leaped from her bed, flung open the door, and bolted out into the hallway, determined to catch Elphaba before she arrived at the Ozdust.


	6. Chapter 6

I enjoyed all the lovely reviews! Keep 'em coming! :) Here's an extra long one.

* * *

"Elphaba! Elphaba, wait!"

Elphaba whirled to see Galinda barreling towards her like a mad woman, her hair streaming behind her and purse swinging wildly. Galinda nearly mowed her right over as she flung her arms around her and began to sob noisily.

"Sweet Lurline, Galinda, what—"

"Oh Elphie, I'm so sorry!" Galinda wailed.

"Sorry for _what_?"

Galinda only wailed louder.

Elphaba was growing impatient. "Oh, for Oz's sake, will you stop having hysterics and tell me what's going on? And let go of me; I feel like I'm wearing that stupid corset again." She pried Galinda's arms from her waist and waited. Galinda sniffled pathetically.

"Well?"

Galinda took a deep breath and blurted, "IgaveyouthehatsoFiyerowouldstoplikingyouandlikeme instead." She covered her face with her hands, bracing herself for one of Elphaba's tirades. When it didn't come, she peeked through her fingers to find Elphaba staring at her blankly.

"Come again?"

Another deep breath. "I-I only gave you that hat because I wanted to make you look bad so that Fiyero wouldn't like you anymore."

Elphaba recoiled as though she'd been slapped. For a long moment she was silent, then, "Galinda, how could you?"

Galinda's lower lip trembled. "I-I don't know. I was jealous and…and…" She hung her head. "I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore." '_But please say you do…'_

There was a long pause. Feeling more nervous by the second, Galinda snuck a glance at Elphaba, who stood silently, her expression unreadable. _'She's too quiet. Is she trying to decide how best to kill me? Oh, I hope it doesn't leave any scars…"_

She twisted her fingers into her skirt, then began bouncing on the balls of her feet. '_Oh Oz, oh Oz…' _She could feel her anxiety rising. '_I didn't take my medicine this morning. Calm down, Galinda. Breathe.'_ She took a deep breath, then another, and the breaths started coming quicker as her panic escalated. '_I'm too young to die! What will Oz do without me? I've never even French kissed a boy! And all of my dresses…what if they go to the poor? Oh, the disrespectation!'_

* * *

Elphaba watched, baffled, as Galinda began to hyperventilate. She knew the girl was high strung, but this… '_I'll just let her suffer a little longer. She deserves it.'_

When it looked like Galinda was about to either explode or have a complete nervous breakdown, Elphaba decided to intervene.

"Ok, Galinda—Galinda! Calm down. Oz, I'm not going to murder you."

Galinda stopped pacing and looked up in surprise. "You're not?"

"No!"

"Oh. Well that's relievifying. Does that mean we're still friends?"

Elphaba took in Galinda's hopeful expression and found that she wasn't angry. In her way, she supposed Galinda was being sincere. She sighed. "Alright."

Galinda clapped her hands and began to bounce.

"But!" Elphaba held up a finger and waited for her to stop. Galinda froze mid-bounce.

"Are you finished?"

Galinda nodded meekly.

"Good. Now, just because we're friends, that does _not _mean that you can give me makeovers, nor can you force me into any more corsets, nor can you call me Elphie."

With each restriction, Galinda's perfect eyebrows inched closer together. "But Elphie, how am I supposed to remember all that?"

Elphaba smiled sweetly. "Oh, I'll make sure you do. If it's any motivation, if you ever try to put lipstick or a corset on me again, I _will_ retaliate, and it will _not _be pleasant."

Galinda tapped her head nervously. "It's in there."

She paused, puzzled, and knocked on the side of her head again. "Elphie, does it sound…_hollow_ to you?"

"You know what? Let's just go to the dance now."

* * *

When they arrived at the Ozdust, Galinda clutched Elphaba's arm in excitement. "Oh Elphie, this is just thrillifying! There's a whole room full of…of _studmuffins _in there just dying to be chosen by me!"

"Studmuffins?"

"Yes, isn't it a great word? I learned it from Shen-Shen yesterday."

"But…what does it mean?"

"Boys, Elphie, boys! _Hottified _boys."

"Well, you certainly bounced back quickly," Elphaba grumbled. "And don't call me Elphie."

Not seeming to hear, Galinda gasped in horror. "Oh, I can't let them see me like this! My makeup is probably all streamy and melty and grossified! Is that why you never cry, Elphie? 'Cause the green might melt all over the place? But that would be a good thing! So how 'bout you just stay here and have a good cry while I run to the bathroom and fix my makeup, ok?"

She scurried off to the restroom, leaving an incredulous Elphaba standing in front of the entrance to the ballroom. "She thinks it would _melt__?"_

Shaking her head in disbelief, Elphaba straightened the pointed hat and went inside. Galinda's original plan in giving her the hat had raised some doubts—could something as silly as a hat really cost her Fiyero's friendship? Would he be embarrassed and no longer want to be seen with her? She didn't think so, but she needed to know for sure.

Besides, she liked the ugly thing.

She stepped into a barrage of sound and lights and suddenly felt afraid. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe one more scene of public humiliation would be too much for any friend to endure. _'But not Fiyero. He's better than that.' _Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she stepped onto the dance floor.

Just as she'd expected, she was met with gasps and mocking laughter. She leveled a frosty look of indifference on the crowd, and the room fell silent. A few people tittered, but she ignored them, satisfied that most of Shiz was as intimidated by her as Galinda.

Lifting her chin in defiance, she searched the crowd for Fiyero. She finally found him standing in a shadowed corner, watching her. Their eyes locked, and her heart began to pound. His expression revealed nothing.

'_Please,' _she pleaded silently. '_Please, Yero, not you too. This was a mistake.'_

* * *

'_Oz, she looks beautiful…' _Fiyero couldn't tear his eyes away. She wore a simple black dress, but it clung to every perfect curve. Even the strange hat she wore seemed exotic, like her.

When her eyes met his, he could see that she was frightened. '_She thinks I'm going to turn against her_,' he realized. Without another thought, he started towards her.

The crowd parted, he thought he saw her smile, and he broke into a trot. He felt a comical desire to hop on a horse, brandish a sword, and shout, "Have no fear, Elphie! I'll save you!" and he almost laughed out loud at the thought.

And then there she stood in front of him, his beautiful Fae, as he liked to call her in his mind, smiling in earnest now. He bowed with a flourish and held out a hand. "Dance with me?"

* * *

Elphaba's eyes scanned the room nervously. "Everyone's watching."

"Let them watch." Fiyero took her hand and spun her into his arms, motioning for the band to start playing again. A beautiful Vinkan lullaby filled the room.

"I was hoping you'd come," he told her. "I requested this one specifically for the first slow song—you said you were interested in music from the Vinkus, so…" he shrugged.

"That's right," she whispered, touched. He smiled and began to sing along softly.

Though at first she'd been unnerved by his close proximity, Elphaba soon discovered that there was something incredibly reassuring about being close to him. He made her every step seem graceful, even though she'd never danced in her life; he was that good. His familiar scent washed over her, comforting and intoxicating at the same time, and his husky tenor was soothing in her ear. Her hand in his tingled with electricity, and his hand at the small of her back sent a pleasant warmth radiating through her.

"I guess I should thank you," he said after a moment.

"What for?"

"You saved me from dancing with Shen-Shen." A sheepish grin spread across his face. "I was hiding from her when you arrived."

"It's your own fault she's after you, you know," she informed him. "You're too good-looking for you own—" Her eyes widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Did I just say that?"

His smile broadened. "Yep, you did."

She groaned in embarrassment, but he only laughed. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Let's just go get some punch, how about that?"

Two hours later, having been forced to learn to waltz, swing-dance, and tango, Elphaba was exhausted. She'd quickly discarded the hat, finding it impractical for dancing. It was the last slow song of the night, and so she'd reluctantly allowed Fiyero to lead her back out onto the dance floor.

Too tired to fight her attraction to him, she yawned and rested her forehead against his shoulder.

She felt the vibrations in his chest as he laughed softly. "Tired?"

"Mmmm…"

Taking advantage of this rare moment of calm between them, he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. He let his eyes close as he swayed them gently back and forth, breathing in the scent of her hair; he couldn't name the scent, had never smelled anything like it, but it seemed to fill every corner of his brain, taunting him.

It was a delicate game that they played, teetering on the brink between friendship and something more. One false move could so easily destroy the trusting friendship they'd developed. But as neither was alert enough to protest, both half drunk on the music and the lateness of the hour, the moment held.

'_It could be like this,' _he thought wistfully. '_It could be like this, always…should I tell her?'_

But, unwilling to end this precious moment with her, he simply held her in silence and dreamed of making her his. '_If only…'_

* * *

"Galinda, do you _ever _run out of energy? It's two o'clock in the morning!"

Elphaba lay in bed, wanting nothing more than to just go to sleep-but her bubbly roommate had other plans.

"Exactly!" Galinda screeched. "Two o'clock is the very best time for secrets!"

"No, it's the very best time for sleeping."

"Goodness, you are so moodified."

"Galinda, I'm _tired. _I have no intention of—"

"Elphie! Don't be so boring. I want to have fuuuun!"

Elphaba rolled onto her side and glared at the tiny blonde, who appeared to be testing the springiness of her bed. "Galinda, for the last time, do not call me Elphie!"

Galinda pouted. "But you let Fiyero call you Elphie."

"That's different."

"How?"

'_I'm madly in love with him, that's how.' _Not about to divulge the real reason, Elphaba opted instead for, "I didn't have any say in the matter." The minute the words left her mouth, she knew it was the wrong thing to say.

Galinda's eyes sparkled with mischievous glee. "Well, you don't have any say in the matter here, either. I'm calling you Elphie, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"I'll turn the entire bedroom brown."

"And I'll turn it pink again."

"You can't—"

"Oh yes I can! Now, not another word—we have work to do. I've decided, Elphie, that it's about time you learned how to flirt."

Elphaba folded her arms grumpily. "I don't want to learn how to flirt."

"Nonsense!" Galinda leapt off her bed and twirled gracefully. "Of course you do!"

"No, I really don't," Elphaba insisted.

"Yes, you do. Besides, how else are you supposed to keep Fiyero interested?"

Elphaba's head shot up. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"First of all, Galinda, someone has to _be_ interested for you to _keep _them interested."

"Elphaba Thropp, what are you getting at? Honestly, you are so confusifying."

Elphaba opened her mouth to respond, but Galinda held up a hand. "No, don't tell me, I don't want to hear it. Now, no more interruptions. First, I'm gonna teach you how to toss your hair. Watch carefully."

With a defeated sigh, Elphaba flopped onto her back and closed her eyes, attempting to block Galinda's high-pitched voice out of her head.

"Elphie? Are you watching?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm watching," Elphaba mumbled without opening her eyes.

Galinda demonstrated a perfect toss-toss, complete with her signature giggle, then ordered, "Now you try."

She turned to find Elphaba asleep on her bed and frowned. "Elphie?" No reply. She poked the sleeping girl in the ribs, but still she didn't stir.

Galinda sighed. "Oh, why do I even try?" Shaking her head, she headed for the bathroom, humming to herself. She stopped at the door and looked back at her sleeping roommate with a fond smile. '_My new best friend…'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Elphaba was hovering somewhere between dreams and reality, reliving that last dance in her mind. She could feel his arms around her, she could smell him still, but this time he whispered in her ear that he loved her and drew her into a gentle kiss. She sighed, rolled over. _'If only…' _


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for the wait, you guys! My computer crashed and I lost all my work. :( I'll try to have another chapter up before I go out of town on Tuesday, since I'll be gone for a few weeks and might not be able to post anything.

Also, my apologies to Fae Tiggular-I know Fiyero's supposed to have blue eyes, but I have a bit of a thing for green eyes. You can pretend they're blue. :)

Anyway, here it is! It's pretty short, but like I said, I'll try to have another up in the next two days.

* * *

Elphaba woke early, feeling decidedly unrested. She'd tossed and turned all night, slipping in and out of dream after dream about Fiyero's lips, and trying desperately after each one to force her subconscious mind back to reality. Reality was that those lips were off-limits. Never going to happen.

Giving up any hope of sleep, Elphaba rolled out of bed, pulled on the ugliest black dress she owned, and stomped off to the library. Might as well be productive.

Why was she doing this to herself? Yesterday she'd felt perfectly fine, and then she'd let him hold her, and she'd held him, and now the ache of it all was unbearable.

The library was empty at this hour; even the librarian looked bleary-eyed and grumpy. '_Good. That makes two of us.' _

Elphaba made her way to her usual secluded corner and settled into a lush scarlet armchair. She opened her history book, but couldn't make sense of it—couldn't get _him_ out of her head: his broad shoulders, his gentle hands…those beautiful, beautiful lips…

"Elphaba."

Elphaba woke with a start. Her neck hurt; that was the first thing she noticed. There was a warm pressure on her shoulder—a hand. She maneuvered her stiff neck enough to look into a pair of deep green eyes.

"Hey. I thought I'd find you here." He was smiling softly, and her eyes were drawn to his mouth. Her face was on fire; she looked down at his torso. No good—memories flooded back from the night before: her head resting on his chest, her fingers gripping his shoulders and tracing the supple muscles of his back…Oz. Now she was sweating.

She moved her gaze to the hand on her shoulder—the same hand that had stroked her hair and pressed her close to him. She was going to scream.

"I was hoping you could help me with something."

She squeezed her eyes shut and cleared her throat. Her voice didn't seem to be working.

"Elphie? Are you alright?"

A mute nod was all she could manage. He turned away to grab a second armchair and place it next to her own. She hurriedly rubbed her burning cheeks, straightened her hair, and tried to pull herself together.

"What time is it?" she croaked as he sat down.

"About 12:30. How long have you been here?"

"Since 8." She yawned and rubbed her neck; no wonder it ached. "I couldn't sleep."

"Bad dreams?"

She flushed. "You might say that."

"And your first instinct was to come to the library. Perfectly normal." He was using his teasing voice now, and for some reason it made her blush harder.

"Well, I wanted to start researching my paper, but then I fell asleep, and—"

"And you've been sleeping in that awful chair for four hours. You must be awfully stiff."

"I'm fine."

"Elphie. You're rubbing your neck as we speak. Here." Before she knew what was happening, he was standing behind her, and his warm, gentle fingers probed the tender skin on the sides of her neck. She sucked in a breath.

"Is that where it hurts?"

"Yes." Her voice came out as a squeak; truthfully, she hadn't noticed the pain nearly so much as the tingle that erupted everywhere his fingers met her skin. She tensed instinctively.

"Elphie, relax." His voice dropped to a murmur. "I know what I'm doing."

'_Do you? Do you have any idea what you do to me?'_

As ignorant as he seemed to be of his effect on her, he certainly did know what he was doing. He stroked and kneaded her tired muscles into submission, and within moments the pain disappeared. Her eyes drifted shut and she melted into his hands as they moved to her shoulders and back to her neck, seeming now to do less massaging than caressing. His touch turned feather light and traveled from her neck along her jaw, across her cheekbones, into her hair. Another moment and she was going to scream, going to explode, it just wasn't fair, he couldn't touch her like this and then—

Suddenly he cleared his throat and pulled his hands away. "There. Does that feel any better?"

'_No, it doesn't!' _she wanted to scream. '_How are you so calm? How can you just stand there and make me want you so badly it hurts without doing anything at all?'_

She nodded.

He sat beside her and looked at her with concern. "Fae? What's the matter? You seem really out of sorts this morning." He reached out and took her hands in his, and stroked his thumbs lightly over her wrists.

"You're doing it again," she blurted.

His forehead wrinkled. "Doing what?"

"Touching me."

"Does it bother you?" He leaned closer. "Because last night you didn't seem to mind."

His breath on her face addled her already panicked brain, and she couldn't take it any more. "I have to go."

"What?"

"I just have to go."

She snapped her book shut and bolted, ignoring Fiyero's calls behind her. She barely noticed the tears that streamed hot down her cheeks as she raced across campus. She had to get away from him.


End file.
